In most settings be it politics or even corporate life, the downside risk of saying "I did wrong. I'm sorry" is high

Rationalizing missteps pays off better than acknowledging mistakes - the latter is seen as a weakness

Yet few people cogitate on how to reduce this downside risk

One counter-argument to this is -

Rationalization and non-admission of supposed "mistakes" is a good thing, as it contributes to intellectual diversity

Else we sort of acknowledge there is one "right" course - and all other courses are "mistakes" that ought to be shunned

So one can make a conservative case for the status-quo by arguing that greater introspection is merely a cover for supporting the idea of "progress", and a means of suppressing the many varied forms of prejudices that contribute to intellectual diversity

Related threads

(Disclaimer: The following is an overview of the current situation based on intelligence leaks received from several sources which may or may not be accurate. Other confirmed sources may also be included in this overview.)

The Deep State's attempt to interfere in the 2016 election is backfiring on them.

So @SyriansRISE_UP asked me to comment on the Syrian flag question. I would love to, and why not make it into a thread on the flags that waved over #Syrian lands since the 7th c.? I'll keep it limited and at the end, I'll comment on what flag I feel would be best for #Syria.

The first flag to wave over the #Syrian lands, previously known as Syria Coele under the #Byzantines, was the black banner of the Rāshidūn Caliphate. Conquered after the battles of Yarmūk (636) and the Iron Bridge (637), Syria became a permanent part of the #Muslim world.

After the death of ʿAlī bin Abī Ṭālib, the #Umayyad dynasty succeeded the caliphate, moving the capital to #Damascus, extensively investing in Syria (known as al-Shām or the Levant). Their dynastic color was white, a flag their continued to use in al-Andalus.

I'm glad you enjoyed my past thread on the ancient star & crescent. In the coming days, I hope to cover the star and crescent symbolism in the post-classical era. This thread will focus on the #Ottomans, but you might be surprised about its other users.

To recapitulate a bit, we might conclude that the star and crescent were extensively present in both #Byzantine and #Sassanid symbolism. The Sassanids saw it as the astral representation of Mithra and Anahita. Together with their dynasty, however, this symbolism declined.

The #Ummayads copied the Sassanid coins for a while to use as silver dirhams, like the two 7th century coins below. However, the symbolism of star and crescent were in no way meaningful, and were a mere reflection of the fading Sassanid existence in the new conquerors' coinage.

1. Hello everyone, yesterday Ch 6 of the #Caliphate podcast went live, detailing how we fact-checked Abu Huzayfah's story. At least 15 @nytimes reporters, stringers and translators worked to bring you that one episode. Follow along for the back story: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cal…

2. By now, you've heard the detailed account of murder by one Canadian member of ISIS. As many of you have asked, why in the world would this young man admit to such crimes in an interview with the @nytimes? I'm finally able to reveal that we began speaking to him 1.5 yrs ago

3. @AndyMillsNYT & I first learned of Abu Huzayfah in November 2016. He had left Syria over a year before that & had successfully traveled back and forth to Canada and his grandparent's home in Pakistan. Because no one stopped him at the airport, he assumed he was in the clear